Eco 372 Week 1 Assignment

Part 1: College is a great place to meet new people of all different cultures. In fact, one experience I had with an individual of another culture took place at college. During my freshman year at Towson University, I enrolled in a Biology lecture with over 150 students and I happened to sit next to, Bella, a girl who was from Italy. As the semester went on, I got to know her better and learned that she was studying abroad for a semester. Even though she spoke English fluently, she had a very strong accent and I later learned that her native language was Italian. Since she was new to both the country and university, I helped her around the first couple weeks of school which gave me the opportunity to get to know her. Personally, I thought it was so neat …show more content…
Costa Rica is a small country located in Central America and is surrounded by the Caribbean Sea on the east and the Pacific Ocean on the west. Spanish is the official language in Costa Rica; however, many Costa Ricans speak English fluently. I learned how many Costa Ricans love to hold conversations about various topics including family, business, weather, and even traffic. As I was reading, I found it really interesting that non-verbal communication is popular in Costa Rica. Non-verbal communication refers to gestures, postures, sounds, touching, and eye contact between individuals in order to convey thoughts.

I read some interesting facts about the customs in Costa Rica. I learned that greetings are strong customs and it is common for people to greet both friends and strangers. Firm handshakes and light kisses on the cheek are most popular. I learned how compliments are extremely common and appreciated in the Costa Rican culture. Positive feedback, both within the workplace and outside the workplace, is welcomed and it often motivates